Talking tech
With its Mundu IM (instant messaging) software, Geodesic Information Systems has entered the big league of global communications technology.
By TNN |
With its Mundu IM (instant messaging) software, Geodesic Information Systems has entered the big league of global communications technology.
Nothing succeeds like the power of a great idea that’s just right for its time. The founders of Geodesic Information Systems Limited (GISL) too started with this belief. It’s no wonder that the company that grew out of an apartment in Mumbai in 1999, with four individuals — Pankaj Kumar, Mahesh Murthy, Prashant Mulekar and Kiran Kulkarni — has been able to withstand the tech meltdown and every other hurdle that came its way.
Eight years on, GISL, with a headcount of 300 employees and annual turnover of Rs 167 crore (FY ’07) is considered a leading provider of communication and collaboration products on the Internet and on mobile phones. Geodesic has developed an integrated information, communication and entertainment stack for desktops, web and mobile platforms that’s based on instant messaging (IM) and real-time collaboration. Says Kiran Kulkarni, managing director, GISL, “We wanted to cash in on India’s intelligence potential and break the notion that our companies cannot create premium software.”
Coming from a technology background has definitely helped these first-time entrepreneurs develop such software in India.
For an organisation that initially sold software and provided consultancy services to enterprises, the journey has been rather eventful. “We wanted to so something different and decided to tap the IM space at a time when most small companies wanted to cash in on the internet boom,” says Kulkarni.
From supplying the IM platform to various enterprises — the Times of India group’s Indiatimes.com was one of the first companies to have adopted Geodesic’s software — the company is today riding on the success of its own brand Mundu IM. Launched in 2002, this interoperable IM tool enables people to communicate with one another instantly on different platforms. The product caters to Internet and mobile phone users alike.
Geodesic has already sold its software to several companies in India, but what’s more phenomenal is that in this short span of time, it has also been successful in making a mark abroad. Apart from its tie-ups with Taiwan-based global electronic major BenQ and Swedish Gothenburg Post, Geodesic has recently announced a partnership with Mio Technology Limited, a leading maker of GPS devices. Under this partnership, Mundu IM will be pre-loaded onto the Mio DigiWalker A702 GPS PDA phone, which is scheduled for launch in Asia and Europe by the end of this year. “This tie-up will give us an opportunity to share Mundu IM with a new crop of users,” says Kulkarni. “We are happy to have brought in this revolution for mobile phone users in India”.
Nothing succeeds like the power of a great idea that’s just right for its time. The founders of Geodesic Information Systems Limited (GISL) too started with this belief. It’s no wonder that the company that grew out of an apartment in Mumbai in 1999, with four individuals — Pankaj Kumar, Mahesh Murthy, Prashant Mulekar and Kiran Kulkarni — has been able to withstand the tech meltdown and every other hurdle that came its way.
Eight years on, GISL, with a headcount of 300 employees and annual turnover of Rs 167 crore (FY ’07) is considered a leading provider of communication and collaboration products on the Internet and on mobile phones. Geodesic has developed an integrated information, communication and entertainment stack for desktops, web and mobile platforms that’s based on instant messaging (IM) and real-time collaboration. Says Kiran Kulkarni, managing director, GISL, “We wanted to cash in on India’s intelligence potential and break the notion that our companies cannot create premium software.”
Coming from a technology background has definitely helped these first-time entrepreneurs develop such software in India.
For an organisation that initially sold software and provided consultancy services to enterprises, the journey has been rather eventful. “We wanted to so something different and decided to tap the IM space at a time when most small companies wanted to cash in on the internet boom,” says Kulkarni.
From supplying the IM platform to various enterprises — the Times of India group’s Indiatimes.com was one of the first companies to have adopted Geodesic’s software — the company is today riding on the success of its own brand Mundu IM. Launched in 2002, this interoperable IM tool enables people to communicate with one another instantly on different platforms. The product caters to Internet and mobile phone users alike.
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Geodesic has already sold its software to several companies in India, but what’s more phenomenal is that in this short span of time, it has also been successful in making a mark abroad. Apart from its tie-ups with Taiwan-based global electronic major BenQ and Swedish Gothenburg Post, Geodesic has recently announced a partnership with Mio Technology Limited, a leading maker of GPS devices. Under this partnership, Mundu IM will be pre-loaded onto the Mio DigiWalker A702 GPS PDA phone, which is scheduled for launch in Asia and Europe by the end of this year. “This tie-up will give us an opportunity to share Mundu IM with a new crop of users,” says Kulkarni. “We are happy to have brought in this revolution for mobile phone users in India”.
To use this software, explains Kulkarni, people with Palm OS, Windows smart phones and iPhones (Beta) can download the application on their cell-phones directly from www.mundu.com or Geodesic’s partner websites download.com, motricity.com and palmgear.com. The company has recently acquired Chandamama to drive content over the Mundu IM platform. “We are constantly working on partnerships and looking for companies with business/product synergy to further Geodesic’s prospects in the retail space,” says Kulkarni.
Mundu IM has also caught on in India with more than 5 lakh users currently using this software on their mobile phones. In July 2007, Mundu Radio was recognised as one of top 100 applications by Webware – A C|Net property. Also, Mundu released for iPhone has been acclaimed as one of top applications for the iPhone by tech gurus and users alike. “Perhaps this is the first time a software made in India has won such recognition,” says Kulkarni.
Geodesic is also the first company in India to have brought Internet radio to mobile phones. Launched in 2006 last year, the mobile Internet radio service has brought free access to unlimited music to people on their
mobile phones.
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